the [subject] was a woman
[I] found her face in a field of vision
caught in a crowd [red beret]
and [yellow scarf] she had a record
of delusional thinking [I] was
following her movements
[an enemy of the people]
[I] called in a mechanical
sparrow [brushed nickel beak]
taut titanium eyes the [subject]
spotted the [bird] tried
to melt back into the street
[I] called up her [accessory list]
she was reported to have
a [butterfly pin] attached
to her hat [I] homed in [triggered]
the metallic insect’s antennae
to drill an imperceptible hole
through her [upper cranium shell]
she fell down outside the bullet
train station [I] summoned the guards
[a history removal team] moved in
to insure complete consistency
all bystanders were interviewed
[nothing happened] all phones
were updated [I] cleaned up my
video using another woman’s
face [she] walked into the station
[I] logged my timesheet satisfied
the train was [safe]
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Henry Crawford is a poet whose work has appeared in several journals and online publications. His first collection of poetry, American Software, was published in 2017 by CW Books.
Photo by Lianhao Qu.
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